The Virtues of Night Prayer and an Explanation of Some of Its Rulings
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Question:
After this, a message was sent by one of the sisters, who indicated her name with the letters (H. A. M) from Riyadh. Our sister is asking about night prayer, and asking whether it is obligatory to adhere to it, or is it not obligatory? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Night prayer is a confirmed sunnah, and it is from the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-Isra: 79], and He said in describing the righteous among the servants of Allah: [Adh-Dhariyat: 17-18]. And He said in describing the servants of the Most Merciful : [Al-Furqan: 64].
So, tahajjud at night is a sunnah and a great act of drawing near to Allah, but according to one's ability. A person does it... in the first part of the night, in the middle of the night, or in the last part of the night, according to what is easy. The minimum is one, one rak'ah with which he performs witr. It is recommended for him to increase, praying three, five, seven, or nine, according to what is easy. And if standing for night prayer in the last part of the night is difficult for him, he prays it before he sleeps, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Abu Hurayrah and Abu al-Darda to perform witr before sleeping. And if it is easy for him to get up in the last part of the night, that is better, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):.
And the sunnah is two by two, then he performs witr with one, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 1326Sahih (Al-Albani) Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. So, does not one who leaves night prayer commit a sin?
The Shaykh: No, he does not commit a sin. It is a sunnah.
The presenter: A sunnah, praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh: If he leaves it, he owes nothing, but it is a sunnah. The sunnah is to adhere to it. Allah has not made obligatory upon us except the five prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha, Fajr, and Jumu'ah. This is the obligatory prayer. And what is added to it—Dhuha prayer, tahajjud at night, the rawatib, and witr—are all voluntary.
The presenter: May Allah bless you. But you are calling the Muslims...
The Shaykh: But it is befitting for the believer, and it is prescribed for him, to adhere to the rawatib and the virtues, and to hasten to every good, especially tahajjud at night and witr. It is a confirmed prayer. Likewise, the rawatib: four before Zuhr, two after it. And if he prays four after it, that is also better. Before 'Asr, it is recommended for him to pray four, saying taslim after every two. Likewise, two after Maghrib, two after 'Isha, and two before Fajr prayer. All of these are rawatib. And if he prays two before 'Isha, and two before Maghrib, that is also better, between the two adhans. All of these voluntary prayers are recommended. It is befitting for the believer to adhere to them and to be eager for them, hoping for the reward and favor of Allah .
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
After this, a message was sent by one of the sisters, who indicated her name with the letters (H. A. M) from Riyadh. Our sister is asking about night prayer, and asking whether it is obligatory to adhere to it, or is it not obligatory? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Night prayer is a confirmed sunnah, and it is from the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.
وَمِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نَافِلَةً لَكَ عَسَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا(17) They used to sleep but little of the night, (18) And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَ وَبِالأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَAnd those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًاSo, tahajjud at night is a sunnah and a great act of drawing near to Allah, but according to one's ability. A person does it... in the first part of the night, in the middle of the night, or in the last part of the night, according to what is easy. The minimum is one, one rak'ah with which he performs witr. It is recommended for him to increase, praying three, five, seven, or nine, according to what is easy. And if standing for night prayer in the last part of the night is difficult for him, he prays it before he sleeps, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Abu Hurayrah and Abu al-Darda to perform witr before sleeping. And if it is easy for him to get up in the last part of the night, that is better, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever fears that he will not get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the first part of the night. And whoever hopes to get up in the last part of the night, let him perform witr in the last part of the night, for the prayer of the last part of the night is witnessed, and that is better.
من خاف ألا يقوم من آخر الليل؛ فليوتر أوله، ومن طمع أن يقوم آخر الليل؛ فليوتر آخر الليل، فإن صلاة آخر الليل مشهودة، وذلك أفضلAnd the sunnah is two by two, then he performs witr with one, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Prayer during the night should consist of pairs of rak'ahs, but if one of you fears the morning is near he should pray one rak'ah which will make his prayer an odd number for him.
صلاة الليل مثنى مثنى، وإذا خشي أحدكم الصبح؛ صلى ركعة واحدة توتر له ما قد صلىThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good. So, does not one who leaves night prayer commit a sin?
The Shaykh: No, he does not commit a sin. It is a sunnah.
The presenter: A sunnah, praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh: If he leaves it, he owes nothing, but it is a sunnah. The sunnah is to adhere to it. Allah has not made obligatory upon us except the five prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha, Fajr, and Jumu'ah. This is the obligatory prayer. And what is added to it—Dhuha prayer, tahajjud at night, the rawatib, and witr—are all voluntary.
The presenter: May Allah bless you. But you are calling the Muslims...
The Shaykh: But it is befitting for the believer, and it is prescribed for him, to adhere to the rawatib and the virtues, and to hasten to every good, especially tahajjud at night and witr. It is a confirmed prayer. Likewise, the rawatib: four before Zuhr, two after it. And if he prays four after it, that is also better. Before 'Asr, it is recommended for him to pray four, saying taslim after every two. Likewise, two after Maghrib, two after 'Isha, and two before Fajr prayer. All of these are rawatib. And if he prays two before 'Isha, and two before Maghrib, that is also better, between the two adhans. All of these voluntary prayers are recommended. It is befitting for the believer to adhere to them and to be eager for them, hoping for the reward and favor of Allah .
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.